Monday's Virginia Times coverage, on the eve of the midterm elections, was led by the Supreme Court rejecting a bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots, President Donald Trump's closing midterm speech and his 'Mr. Veto' warning, and final polls showing Democrats ahead in all seven Senate races. A 22-story day also covered Marvell's $115 billion deal for Lumentum, the prosecution wrapping its case in the Naresh Bhatt murder trial, a flash flood emergency in Florida, deadly Russian bombs at a Ukraine aid centre, and Virginia's early vote, in which likely Democrats led in nine of 11 districts.
In This Recap
- Marvell Agrees to Buy Lumentum for $115 Billion in Stock
- Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Set Aside 20,000 California Ballots
- Prosecution Wraps Its Case in Naresh Bhatt Murder Trial
- Zelenskyy Warns Russia Is Preparing Massive Strike During Midterms
- NTSB: Learjet Began Breaking Up Before Florida Crash That Killed 9
- Russian Bombs Kill 24 at Ukraine Aid Center, Kyiv Says
- Trump Devotes Closing Midterm Speech to Reflecting Pool
- DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Set Aside California Ballots
- Trump Says He Would Pardon Musk, Aides if Needed
- DOJ Appeals Dismissal of Suit Over Alaska’s Two Senate Sullivans
- Palm Bay and West Melbourne Under Flash Flood Emergency
- U.S. Pushes to Restore Russian Gas Sales to Europe Via Ukraine
- Trump Says He’ll Be ‘Mr. Veto’ if Democrats Win Congress
- Two Tankers Exploded on Mines in Hormuz, IRGC Navy Says
- Democrats Lead All Seven Senate Races in Final Polls
- Likely Democrats Lead Virginia Early Vote in 9 of 11 Districts
- Pagosa Springs Evacuates as San Juan River Nears Record Crest
- Netanyahu Presses Trump on Iran Strikes, Axios Reports
- Exit Polls Put Iotova on Course to Win Bulgaria Presidency
- Oleshky Ceasefire Expires as Ukraine Moves 167 People to Safety
- Havertz Goal Lifts Arsenal Top With First Anfield Win Since 2012
- Lamar Jackson Set for Surgery, Headed to Injured Reserve
1 Marvell Agrees to Buy Lumentum for $115 Billion in Stock
Marvell Technology will acquire Lumentum in an all-stock deal with an implied enterprise value of $115 billion, at 4.500 Marvell shares for each Lumentum share — about $1,132 a share, a 23.9% premium — with closing expected in the first half of 2028.
2 Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Set Aside 20,000 California Ballots
The Supreme Court denied the Trump administration’s emergency bid to make California set aside mail ballots from about 20,000 voters the government says are likely noncitizens.
3 Prosecution Wraps Its Case in Naresh Bhatt Murder Trial
Prosecutors called their last witnesses Monday in Naresh Bhatt’s murder trial, hearing from Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s brother and a friend Bhatt gave her jewelry to after she vanished. The defense opens Wednesday.
4 Zelenskyy Warns Russia Is Preparing Massive Strike During Midterms
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence shows Russia is preparing a massive attack on energy and logistics sites, timed for the U.S. midterms, and urged Washington to squeeze Russia’s oil and gas revenues.
5 NTSB: Learjet Began Breaking Up Before Florida Crash That Killed 9
Federal investigators said Monday the Learjet 60 that crashed in Palm Beach County showed evidence of breaking up before impact. Families named the nine people killed in Sunday’s crash.
6 Russian Bombs Kill 24 at Ukraine Aid Center, Kyiv Says
Russian bombs hit a school used for humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, killing 24 people, Ukraine’s emergency service said. Zelenskyy said a repeat strike hit the shelter where residents had taken cover.
7 Trump Devotes Closing Midterm Speech to Reflecting Pool
President Donald Trump delivered his closing midterm speech Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, spending more than 20 minutes on its renovation, joking about renaming it for himself, and then urging voters to back Republicans in Tuesday’s election that decides control of Congress.
8 DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Set Aside California Ballots
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Monday to order California to set aside mail ballots from anyone on a list of more than 20,000 registered voters who federal officials allege are likely noncitizens, Reuters reported.
9 Trump Says He Would Pardon Musk, Aides if Needed
President Donald Trump said Monday he would issue preemptive pardons to Elon Musk and other aides if he had to protect them from Democratic investigations, pointing to Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons as the model.
10 DOJ Appeals Dismissal of Suit Over Alaska’s Two Senate Sullivans
The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Sunday after a federal judge dismissed its Alaska Senate lawsuit, taking the two-Sullivans case to the Ninth Circuit two days before Election Day.
11 Palm Bay and West Melbourne Under Flash Flood Emergency
The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for Palm Bay and West Melbourne after 12 to 15 inches of rain fell in southeastern Brevard County, with schools closed, roads shut and 3 to 5 more inches possible.
12 U.S. Pushes to Restore Russian Gas Sales to Europe Via Ukraine
The U.S. is backing a quick return of Russian gas sales to Europe through Ukraine as an incentive for an energy ceasefire, officials say. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday an immediate resumption was impossible, and EU law phases out Russian gas by the end of 2027.
13 Trump Says He’ll Be ‘Mr. Veto’ if Democrats Win Congress
President Donald Trump said he would become “Mr. Veto” if Democrats win control of Congress in Tuesday’s midterms, vetoing their bills until they negotiate, in a New York Post podcast interview released in full on Monday.
14 Two Tankers Exploded on Mines in Hormuz, IRGC Navy Says
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy said two oil tankers, including a burning supertanker, exploded after hitting naval mines on an unauthorised route through the Strait of Hormuz, while a British maritime agency reported a separate projectile strike inside the strait.
15 Democrats Lead All Seven Senate Races in Final Polls
Democratic Senate candidates lead in all seven battleground states in the final New York Times and Siena polls, the Siena Research Institute said, with leads of 5 to 11 points in five states and tighter margins in Alaska and Iowa.
16 Likely Democrats Lead Virginia Early Vote in 9 of 11 Districts
VPAP estimates that likely Democrats led likely Republicans among Virginia’s early voters in nine of the state’s 11 congressional districts, with 1,634,193 ballots cast early in all.
17 Pagosa Springs Evacuates as San Juan River Nears Record Crest
Mandatory evacuations covered low ground along four rivers in Archuleta County on Sunday as the San Juan River at Pagosa Springs rose toward a forecast crest of 22 feet, above the 17.8-foot record set in 1911, with orders and road closures across southwestern Colorado.
18 Netanyahu Presses Trump on Iran Strikes, Axios Reports
Axios reported that Benjamin Netanyahu pressed Donald Trump in a Saturday call to strike Iran immediately after Tuesday’s midterms, while Trump wanted to let negotiations play out. Trump confirmed on Sunday that the two spoke about Iran.
19 Exit Polls Put Iotova on Course to Win Bulgaria Presidency
Exit polls released as voting ended in Bulgaria’s presidential runoff put acting President Iliana Iotova ahead of Andrey Gyurov in every survey, on course to become the country’s first elected female head of state if the official count confirms the result.
20 Oleshky Ceasefire Expires as Ukraine Moves 167 People to Safety
The six-day Oleshky ceasefire expired Sunday at midnight Moscow time. Ukraine said it evacuated 167 civilians in Kherson region, and both sides’ ombudsmen are exploring further humanitarian efforts.
21 Havertz Goal Lifts Arsenal Top With First Anfield Win Since 2012
Kai Havertz turned in Declan Rice’s low cross at the far post as Arsenal beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield, their first win there since 2012. Liverpool hit the bar and pressed throughout, but Arsenal held firm to go back to the top of the Premier League.
22 Lamar Jackson Set for Surgery, Headed to Injured Reserve
Lamar Jackson will undergo surgery on his right thumb and be placed on injured reserve after he was hurt on Baltimore’s first play against Buffalo, Ravens coach Jesse Minter said. Minter said it could potentially be season-ending.
Editor’s Note: This recap was prepared with the assistance of AI tools. Virginia Times gathered the source material from multiple sources and thoroughly reviewed the information before publication.
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